At their peak there were more than 30,000 magistrates, but last year there were 16,000NICK ANSELL/PA

They have been described as the “jewel in the crown” and the backbone of the justice system. Magistrates, though, are now an endangered species: they may handle 90 per cent of the cases in the courts, but their numbers have halved since 1997. At their peak there were more than 30,000 magistrates, but last year there were 16,000. Today the latest judicial statistics are expected to show further decline.

John Bache, the chairman of the Magistrates Association, expects the numbers to have fallen to about 15,000 for various reasons. “More magistrates are retiring than are being appointed — it was deliberate policy, but I don’t think it is now,” he says. One reason is the demographic, with 56 per cent of magistrates being over the age…

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